Today we told you about a WJLA-TV featured segment on Olie Kolzig’s impact on a family with an autistic child.
Here’s the video.
The departure of Kolzig is made a little more real when you see the graphic “Olie Kolzig - Former Capitals Goaltender”.
Here’s a reminder that Hockey Fights Cancer Maryland’s event takes place this Sunday, May 4th. As we told you a few weeks ago, the event features a skate-a-thon with celebrities such as Duff Goldman - Ace of Cakes, skills competition on the ice, broom ball on the ice, rides, carnival games, vendors, food, and a silent auction. Additionally, there will be a Washington Capitals / Philadelphia Flyers alumni hockey game, a special appearance by the Hanson Brothers, Chef Duff from Charm City Cakes, and live music by The Zambonis - North America’s Favorite ALL-HOCKEY Band!
If you can’t make the event, you can still help raise money by participating in the online auction which is now open until 4pm on the 4th. Items include a Nicklas Backstrom signed NHL hat, a white Michael Nylander signed sweater, a 2007-08 Washington Capitals team signed sweater, and more.
Here are the particulars: Hockey Fights Cancer Maryland, Sunday, 4 May, 2008 - Ice World in Harford County, Maryland. And if you run into Dave Zamboni, tell him OFB sent you.
By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Pittsburgh won on Thursday . . . no, not the Penguins, who were shut out by the Rangers, but Pittsburgh itself won the title of Sootiest City in the country, snatching the title from former champion Los Angeles. Click here to read more about it on CNN.
The Friday funnies continue: equal-opportunity offenders at The Onion mock both hockey and the mainstream media’s hockey ignorance/dismissal (yes, we’re looking at you ESPN) in their latest ONN (Onion News Network) video, sort of starring Alex Ovechkin with some surprising news:
NHL Star Called Up To Big Leagues To Play For NFL Team
What does this goal remind you of:
Continue reading ›
By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Here it is: the new Capitals’ opening video that premiered in Game 1 . . . more terrific work by the Caps’ production crew. The video starts with “The Pilots’ Theme” from the Stealth soundtrack, then segues into The Crystal Method’s “Now Is The Time”, and ends with Papa Roach’s “To Be Loved”.
Watch it tonight just before the puck drops! Continue reading ›
Fox News Sunday’s “Power Player” - Sunday, 13 April 2008:
NBC’s Meet The Press - Sunday, 20 April 2008:
Thanks to Nate Ewell, Capitals Director of Media Relations for the info.
There’s good news for Leafs fans. The Maple Leafs will be playing in June … in a new
Mike Myers movie called
The Love Guru.
From a National Hockey League press release:
In the comedy “The Love Guru,” Pitka (Mike Myers in his first original character since Austin Powers) is an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. His unorthodox methods are put to the test when he must settle a rift between Toronto Maple Leafs star hockey player Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) and his estranged wife. After the split, Roanoke’s wife starts dating L.A. Kings star Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake) out of revenge, sending her husband into a major professional skid – to the horror of the teams’ owner Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) and Coach Cherkov (Verne Troyer). Pitka must return the couple to marital nirvana and get Roanoke back on his game so the team can break the 40-year-old “Bullard Curse” and win the Stanley Cup.
Myers co-wrote the script featuring his beloved hometown Maple Leafs and shot the film in that city. For the production, the NHL provided Myers and Paramount Pictures unprecedented access and rights, including the use of NHL marks and NHL game action footage, permission and facilitation to film inside NHL arenas, and guest appearances by NHL players and the Stanley Cup, the most revered trophy in all professional sports, marking its first starring turn in a feature film.
For more exclusive video, visit The Love Guru on YouTube.
By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Finally . . . the Capitals are set to start their playoff run in just a few hours. The perseverance shown by the Capitals to climb out of their early-season doldrums, and their accomplishments along the way to this playoff berth, made for an incredible regular season.
For those who missed Saturday’s division-clinching game, a terrific video compiled by the Capitals’ production crew (led by Scott Brooks) closed out the night that every Capitals supporter must see. The arena burst into raucous chants of “O-lie! O-lie!” when the clip for Kolzig’s 300th win appeared. Lots of first NHL goals (Backstrom, Steckel, Shultz, etc.), Laich’s career year . . . and other celebrities like Goat and The Horn Guy are in there too. It’s a great review of the Caps’ milestones and moments in the regular season that brought them to this point—and a reminder that their arrival in the playoffs is no fluke.
With that in mind, check out the vid below. (For the music buffs: the song is “Believe” by The Bravery.)
[admin note: Due to a bug with the NHL's video player and Internet Explorer (really you should use Firefox), we have moved the Alex Ovechkin "Fist Time" video after the break. Please click the title or the 'continued' link to see the video.]
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Jay is a friend of mine from both high school and our college days at The University. While I returned home to the DC area, Jay went north the grad school for TV, Radio and Film, then out west to dabble in Hollywood, and most recently to the New York / Connecticut area where he’s an adjunct instructor in digital video at a local college as well as hanging with ex-Caps Keith Jones and Brian Engbloom in his cool gig with Versus on their hockey broadcasts. Some guys have all the luck.
With a little time on his hands before the hectic playoff schedule starts, Jay created the following parody commercial focused on the Caps laced with subtle gems (pay attention to the first few frames and the stack of books).
Thanks for including us in a cool parody and we’ll see you when the Versus broadcast truck visits the Phone Booth on Friday.
Can history repeat itself? We’ll soon find out — in the meantime, enjoy this classic from 1988 featuring Dale Hunter’s Game 7 overtime winner against the Flyers.
OFB had locker room video to edit after Tuesday night’s victory over Carolina and found inspiring and productive workspace inside Verizon Center’s Green Turtle. We were able to catch up with Craig Laughlin there. He was gracious enough to answer a few questions for us and impart some terrific insights.
“It’s probably the best crowd I ever seen in my life.” - Alexander Ovechkin
Here’s a promo for tonight’s Flames vs. Oilers game from Rogers SportsNet West. Think we’ll ever see a similar promo on Comcast SportsNet or Versus?
On the night Alex Ovechkin’s 61st goal broke the Capitals’ record for most goals in a single season, Comcast SportsNet aired the following tribute video from the Washington Capitals.
Anton & Bengt Gustafsson (photo by Andreas Hillergren)A Hockeysfuture staffer on Saturday
offered a comparison between 2008 draft-eligible Anton Gustafsson, son of former Caps’ great Bengt, and 2006 first-rounder Patrik Berglund (no. 25 to St. Louis).
Hockey sense: Equal
Speed: Equal
Technical skills: Berglund
Offensive game: Berglund
Defensive game: Gustafsson
Two-way game: Gustafsson
Shooting: Equal
Playmaking: Equal
Leadership: Equal
Physical game: Gustafsson (by a huge margin)
Most likely to score 80-100 points in the NHL: Berglund
We’re still weeks away from the Central Scouting Service’s final ranking for North American and European prospects, but little over the course of this hockey season appears to have altered forecasts of a year ago for the young Gustafsson: he’ll go somewhere in round one this June. CSS’ mid-season rankings have Gustafsson rated the 6th best European skater.
OFB had a chance earlier this month to interview Anton’s proud father at a Caps’ game. That video interview, in which Bengt discusses his son’s game at length, can be found here.
Vesa Toskala is. He’s on the wrong end of a 197-foot, short-handed goal.
